Recipe: Gooseberry crumble

This is first in a short series of gooseberry recipes. There’s a glut, pretty much every year and I sometimes need to be reminded of what to do with the additional fruit. If you have recipe favorites do share them in the comments below, I can never have too many ideas.

My mother made this wonderful rich and tart tasting crumble when I was a child, made with ‘goosegogs’ from the bottom of the garden. 2 bushes, VERY thorny. Usually accompanied by vanilla ice-cream or thick yellow custard. As with all children I have ungratefully adapted her recipe, very slightly and called it my own.

1. Mix cleaned gooseberries with sugar and spread in the bottom of an oven proof dish with lemon juice (approx 2 tbs)

2. Place flour and oats in a bowl adding lemon zest, butter and a pinch of salt, I know weird but it works. Rub together between your fingertips until you have a rough breadcrumb texture then mix though the demerera.

3. Layer the topping onto the gooseberries fairly evenly and place into the middle of a pre-heated oven for 40-45 mins until golden brown and crunchy on the top, the gooseberries swill probably be bubbling juice down the sides too.